‘We understand that many parents are feeling upset,’ says board chair Di Sano
Parents of teens enrolled at the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board’s Rosemère High School in Rosemère were in a state of shock late last week as news spread about a digital spreadsheet e-mailed to them which contained sensitive personal information – including a list of names with corresponding social insurance numbers.
The e-mail, with 2026-27 back-to-school information for parents, came with an attached Excel spreadsheet that also contained several other types of personal information.
Sensitive personal info
When the foul-up was discovered last Thursday by school board officials, they sent a message by late afternoon warning parents not to open the email, followed by an attempt to recall the e-mail a few minutes later.
“This document contains sensitive personal information, including but not limited to addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and social insurance numbers of all Rosemère High School parents that have a child registered for the 2026-2027 school year,” said the message.
“While the distribution was limited to this group, we recognize the seriousness of this incident and the importance of protecting every family’s personal information,” it stated, while adding, “We sincerely apologize for this situation.È
DELETE immediately
“Do not open and immediately DELETE the email received today,” the school board wrote, saying that parents would be asked to sign a document by 4 pm on July 3 confirming they deleted it and did not share the spreadsheet.
The school board said it is “investigating the circumstances” that led to the email being sent.
“On behalf of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, we wish to offer our sincerest apologies to families of Rosmère High School affected by today’s information security breach,” chairperson James Di Sano wrote in a statement also sent out.
“We understand that many parents are feeling upset and concerned. This incident is being treated with the utmost seriousness.” Di Sano said the breach will be reported to the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec, “in accordance with our legal obligations.”
Credit monitoring needed
“We are committed to being transparent, and to keeping our community informed as additional information becomes available,” wrote Di Sano. “Our focus remains on addressing this matter with the care, accountability and seriousness it deserves.”
One digital security expert suggested that close credit monitoring may become a necessity for anyone whose name appeared on the list. Among the risks from such an exposure are identity theft, as well as loans or credit cards fraudulently obtained by perpetrators who could get access to the list.
In the meantime, the SWLSB has announced a program of free credit monitoring for affected parents, while also vowing to “implement any additional measures necessary to strengthen our processes and prevent this from happening again.”
